Helmet

Helmet, “the thinking person’s heavy metal band”, is touring the 20th anniversary of their Betty album, recorded during the dying days of when “angular” was still a compliment. A bridge between Nirvana and Korn, I always found them neither a bridge too far nor a bridge far enough, but their sound does sum up a type of dying of the grunge dream. Drummer John Stanier is now the centrepiece of Battles, math rock’s last great hope.